The role of buildings in sustainable stormwater management

With many local governments and water authorities around Australia requiring that buildings and small developments treat their own stormwater, the requirement to find compact integrated water management solutions to stormwater management can be a challenge for designers and engineers. Integrated water management takes a systems thinking approach to managing urban stormwater, considering multiple objectives of stormwater runoff quality, aesthetics, vegetation, peak discharge flowrates, stormwater volume reduction and water efficiency.

Urban drainage faces major issues as the area of impermeable surfaces connected to a drainage system increases. Existing pipe systems are designed for a specific purpose, such as for drainage for low density housing. As an area develops into higher-density development, and more impervious surfaces are connected, piping systems no longer function well and are more frequently flooded. Additional stormwater runoff volumes and increased flooding frequency scour downstream watercourses and pollute coastal environments.

This webinar was held on 14th July 2022 and was presented by Ian Adams (Organica Engineering), providing an overview of the following:
• New stormwater management requirements for buildings, such as those given in the 2019 Australian Rainfall and Runoff Guide (ARR 2019), new Victorian EPA stormwater laws, and the new best practice Green Star requirements from the Green Building Council of Australia
• Use of the on-line InSite Water toolkit (www.insitewater.com.au) to design for and address recent developments in stormwater requirements for buildings
• Best practice and practical examples in lot-scale stormwater management that meet the requirements

The webinar included a 20-minute presentation followed by Q&A with attendees.